Kartik Mahatmya Adhyay 20 and 21: The End of Jalandhar

This page retells chapters 20 and 21 of the Kartik Mahatmya from the Padma Purana. In chapter 20, Shiva takes his terrible Rudra form and ends Jalandhar with the Sudarshan discus. In chapter 21, the devas praise Shiva, and Narada says what the text holds for those who read or hear this story.

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संक्षेप में: शिवजी का रौद्र रूप, भागते शुम्भ-निशुम्भ को चेतावनी, सुदर्शन चक्र से जलंधर का अंत और देवताओं की शिव-स्तुति की पावन कथा। पूरा लेख हिंदी में पढ़ें →

The story

King Prithu asks Narada what happened next in the battle. Narada says that when Girija vanished from the field, the gandharva illusion faded too. Shiva, the Lord with the bull on his banner, came back to himself. Showing a very worldly kind of play, he returned to the fight in anger.

Jalandhar then created an illusory Parvati and tied her to his chariot. Seeing this, Shiva also appeared distressed, again as part of his play. Then he took on his fearsome Rudra form.

No daitya could stand before that form. Even Shumbha and Nishumbha began to run. Shiva spoke to them as they fled. Killing those who run away is a sin, he said, so he would not kill them. But Gauri certainly would. The narration adds that this word was fulfilled later in the Durga Saptashati, where Maa Durga destroys them both.

Hearing this, Jalandhar blazed with rage like fire. He loosed such a rain of arrows that darkness spread over the earth. Shiva then released the Sudarshan discus, which he had made from the big toe of his own foot. It cut off Jalandhar's head, and his huge body, like the Anjan mountain, fell to the ground.

Jalandhar's radiance left him and merged into Shiva, just as Vrinda's radiance had merged into Gauri. What had been a part of Shiva returned to Shiva in the end. The devas and gandharvas were delighted at the sight.

Chapter 21 opens with Brahma and the other devas bowing their heads in praise. They call Shiva the god of gods, the supreme Lord beyond nature. Though he is without qualities and without change, they say, he still performs many deeds. They declare that they are his servants and his subjects, always in his shelter, and they ask him to be pleased and protect them.

Shiva granted them a boon and vanished from that very spot. The devas went back to their own worlds singing his glory. Narada then closes the account. He says this story of the war between Shiva and Jalandhar gives merit and destroys sins, and that whoever reads or hears it enjoys happiness and finally reaches the immortal state.

The teaching of this chapter

Shiva did not abandon dharma even in the middle of a war. He had the power to strike the fleeing brothers, and he held back because they were running away. Anger on the battlefield did not make him forget what is right.

The second lesson comes from how Jalandhar ends. His radiance does not vanish. It returns to Shiva, of whom it was always a part. The chapter uses this to show that every living being is a part of the Lord, and in the end goes back to him.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Shiva not kill Shumbha and Nishumbha?
They were running away, and Shiva said that killing those who flee is a sin. He told them that Gauri would kill them instead.

How was Jalandhar killed?
Shiva released the Sudarshan discus, made from the big toe of his own foot. It cut off Jalandhar's head, and his body fell to the ground like the Anjan mountain.

What happened to Jalandhar's radiance after his death?
It merged into Shiva, in the same way that Vrinda's radiance had merged into Gauri. The narration explains that what was a part of Shiva became one with him again.

What did Jalandhar do with the illusory Parvati?
He created her through maya and tied her to his chariot. Shiva appeared distressed at this as part of his play, and then took his Rudra form.

How do the devas describe Shiva in chapter 21?
They call him the god of gods and the supreme Lord beyond nature, without qualities and without change, yet the doer of many deeds. They call themselves his servants and subjects.

What does Narada say about hearing this story?
According to Narada, this account gives merit and destroys sins, and one who reads or hears it enjoys happiness and finally attains the immortal state.

Previous chapter: Adhyay 19: The Story of Sati Vrinda